Latch or hinge attachment



Dec. 19, 1933. A. F. WINTERS LAICH 0R HINGE ATTACHMENT Filed July 14,1930 lexcmer lllllllillllllfl1111111., --mm I Patented Dec. 19, 1933UNI'Tf-1I STAY-'res Y v .LATCH on 1,940,038( HINGE ATTACHMENT vAlexander" F. winters, Grand Rapids, `Minnessignor to Winters Company;

Michigan v&V Crampton yManuiacturing if Grandville, Mich.,l acorporation oi' Appieathion July 14, 1930. serialNo.` 467,778; 4 claims.(Grieg-12s) This invention relates to a novel improvement in theattachment of latches or hinges'to refrigerators 'or other constructionswhich carry doors, and in`which,`heretofore, the hingeorlatch? has 5been snugly held against'the finished outer surface of the refrigeratoror other structure. By reason of the pressure exerted by the ,hinges orlatches, and particularly when the same are made from sheet metal withmarginal vinturned flanges @1Q the edges of which bear directly againstthe finished outer surfaces, there has been a considerable liabilityof`injury to such nished surfaces. This is particularly true-withrefrigerators which in many cases are made with a porcelain outer 15surface which under the `pressure of the inturned anges of latches orhinges, is liable to chip or crack with a resultant exposure of thematerial under theporcelain which is very undesirable.

The latches-or hinges are in practically all instances attached by meansof screws or equivalent fastenings which pass through openings in thehinge parts or the latch housings into the body of the door and/or doorframe to which the same are attached. It is very desirablethat saidopenings shall be countersunk so as to receive at least a part of theheads of the countersunk attaching screws or other attaching mea'nsused.`With my invention supporting members or devices are l0-Y cated at theinner sides of the hinge parts or latch housing under and around thescrew pass ing openings and are permanently secured thereto by anoperation which at the Sametime countersinksthe 'screwopenings. l

' The undersides of the said devices` are spaced far enough from theplane of the edges of the inturned marginal flanges of the hinge partsor latch housings that when the same are applied against the outersurface of a door or door frame and bear thereon, such marginal inturnedflange 40 portions of the hinge parts or latch housing are heldslightlyaway from the surface of the door and door frame and do notengage thereagainst, all of the pressure being taken by said devices Awhich are underneath the hinge parts or the latch housing, completelycovered and disguised thereby and any injury which may occur totheporcelain or other finish of the door or door frame is' completelycovered by the hinge or latch and is never apparent.

The invention which I have made is of a simple but exceedingly practicalform and has proved particularly satisfactory. vWith it the advantagesabove enumerated are obtained in fullest measure. V

An understanding of the invention and of the v Fig. 2 is a fragmentarysection through a door structure embodying the same may be had from thefollowing "description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which, l

Fig. l is an inner side view of a hinge equipped with the devices of myinvention. Y 60 and adjacent door frarneshowing the hinge appliedtheretoand its outer edge portions held away from the outer iinished surfacesof said door and frame. V

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section illustratingonelof saidsupporting and spacing devices prior to lits attachment to a hingemember or latch housing, and

Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating the con- 70 struction after theconnection has been fmade.

I Like reference `characters refer to like parts in the differentfigures of the drawing.

While in the disclosure made, the invention is shown applied to a hinge,it is to be understood that it is'applicable to any structure which isto be attached by means'of screws passing therethrough to the body ormember to which said structure is to be secured', and is particularlyapplicable where the parts attached by screws are made-ofsheet metal.`The hinge as shown comprises two hinge members '1* and 2, from thelatter of which spaced apart posts 3 extend, the hinge member 1 beingpivotally connected to the post by a pivot pin or rod 4. The structureof the hinge as to the pivotal connection ofthe two hinge parts ormembers 1 and 2 is no part of the present invention but is disclosed andclaimed in a patent to Carl Geske, No. 1,895,658, January 31, 1933. Y 9oThe hinge members 1 Vand 2 are of sheet metal and at their marginaledges are formed with inwardly -turnedflanges 5. Said hinge members areto be secured to a door and doorframe by means of .screws passingthrough a plurality of openings in the hinge members. Each of saidopenings is surrounded by an inwardly extending integral coiiar orsleeve 6 pressed from the member when 4the opening is made. The devicesof my invention are each formed from sheet metal with an annular base orbottom 7, an outer upwardly extending sleeve 8 at the outer edges of thebottom 7, and an inner upwardly extending sleeve 9 which surrounds acentral opening made r l through the bottom 7. Sleeve 9 is of anexterior 105 diameter to pass within the downwardly extending sleeve 6around a screw passing opening through the hinge member; while the outercylindrical sleeve 8 is around and at the outer side of said dependingsleeve 6.

The connection of the device to the hinge member (or latch housing) ismade by placing said device upon a support such as a punch press ordrill bed and then either pressing or spinning the material of the hingemember and of the inner sleeve 9 outwardly using a punch or spinningtool, as shown in Fig. 3. This causes the upper end portion of theinterior sleeve9 tobe pressed or spun outwardly at an angle,'asindicated at 10, and presses the same into the annular recess 6a ofsleeve 6, while the material of the hinge member around the screwpassing opening, as indicated at 11, with the part 10, makes a verypractical countersink to receive the inner side of countersunk screws orbolts or the like.

When the hinge or other appliance equipped with the devices of myinvention at the inner side around each of the screw passing openings isapplied to a door and/or door frame, both indicated at 12 in Fig. 2, thelower side of the bottoms 7 of said devices bear against the finishedvouter surface of the door and door frame and as the lower plane of thebottoms 7 extends beyond the plane of the inner edges of the flanges 5,it is evident that said flanges will not bear with pressure against thefinished outer surface of the door or ,door frame. In Fig. 2 this spacewhich is left between the outer finished surfaces of `the parts 12 andthe inner edges of the flanges 5 is considerably exaggerated forpurposes of better disclosure. In practice said edges of the flanges 5will lie quite closely to the outer surfaces of the members 12 but beheld therefrom so as to exert no pressure thereon.v

Porcelain is indicated as the outer finish surface of the door and doorframe members 12 in Fig. 2; and with refrigerators this is 'used at thepresent time to a large extent. However, the invention is not limited inuse to porcelain covered refrigerators, but is of valuek in-protectingand saving from injury and disgurement the flnyished outer surfaces ofnot only refrigerators, but manyother articles which mount doors bymeans of hinges and on which doors latches-having sheet metal housingsmay be used. The invention, as Apreviously stated, is particularlypractical and useful. It is defined in the appended claims and -is to beconsidered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within theirscope.

I claim:

1. vA lmember of sheet metal having inturned yflanges at its edges, andan opening therethrough surrounded by an inwardly extending integralsleeve,'and a'supporting and spacing device located at the inner side oflsaid member comprising,l an annularbase with a central openingtherethrough, outer and inner sleeves extending therefrom in the samedirection, one around said open- -ing in the device and one at the edgesof said base, said inner sleeve lying within the first mentioned sleeveextending from said member, and means interlocking said inner sleeve andfirst vmentioned sleeve on the member together and with the surface ofthe bottom of said device located in a plane beyondl the plane of theedges of said inturned flanges on said member.

2. A member of metal having inturned flanges at its edges and having anopening therethrough, a sleeve integral with said member around saidopening extending therefrom in the same direction as saidanges, and aspacing and supporting device secured to said sleeve, having a bottom tobear upon an article to which said member is to be attached, the bottomand the free edges of said flanges being located in different planeswhereby when said member is attached, the free edges of said flanges areheld from pressing against the surface of the article to which it isattached.

3. A member of flat metal having flanges at its edges and having acountersunk opening, a sleeve integral with said member extendingtherefrom Aaround said opening in the same direction as said flanges asupporting and spacing ldevice having a flat bottom with an openingtherethrough and a sleeve extending from said bottom around the openingtherein, into the sleeve of said member, and means providinginterlocking permanent connection ofthe sleeves together comprising aportion on said second named sleeve vpressed into the metal of the rstsleeve, the countersunk portion of said opening in the member and theinner side of said pressed portion of the second named sleeve havingsides substantially flush, said bottom at the free side thereof and thefree edges of said flanges being disposed in different planes paralleland closely adjacent each other, for the purposes specified. l

4. A device of the class described having a frangible surface, thecombination of, a member adapted to be positioned immediately adjacentvsaid -frangible surface and attached thereto, said member having aninwardly extending flange around its outer edge, said member also havingopenings therethrough `spaced from its edge, a plurality of meansadjacentrsaid openings and extending inwardly toward and abuttingagainst thesaid frangible surface, said last mentioned `plurality ofmeans being of the'same length and of suflicient length to preventcontact between the flangeV on the member and the frangible surface andbeing located in spaced relationship with respect to the flange,saidzflange concealing the spacing means and also concealing aconsiderable portionof the fran'gible surface around the said spacingmeans for the purpose described.

ALEXANDER F. WINTERS.

